


L.A.

by BrokePerception



Category: 24
Genre: F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-06-01
Updated: 2012-06-01
Packaged: 2017-11-06 12:23:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 16,212
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/418896
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BrokePerception/pseuds/BrokePerception
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What shall happen between Renee and Jack, after about a year of having appeared nothing more than pals? Shall tbere be some alternation in their relationship, upon leaving D.C.? Jack/Renee /Sequel to: Renee/</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

One wouldn't immediately notice anything unusual about former FBI Renee Walker. She generally appeared like a normal 37-year-old woman to anyone else, yet there lingered much more within her than was visible at first sight.

She had been between life and death barely one year earlier, wandering around in a deep comatose condition, of which no one could have really guessed she would awaken and that unharmed.

She had, though. She had woken up nine days later with some serious consequences. She hadn't really been able to communicate at once or to obey easy commands as raising her finger. Renee hadn't even been able to recognize anything either… or anyone. Everything of what her life had been before falling into the coma had gone entirely overshadowed into her head… without any chance of reaching for it. She had had quite some issues with her balance in addition, had been discovered later on.

She had regained domination over her speech and maneuvers fairly fast taken everything in consideration. Of course she didn't have to really learn these things anymore because she already had, but there, however, had been the issue of getting them into her might again and putting them to use… and that surely had required some aid.

Slowly, pieces had fallen together like a puzzle in her memory, too. First she had learned to recognize Jack again. Some memories had become less obscured in her head again at sudden intervals, and Renee willingly had been able to locate them with him by her side. Sometimes she would only barely recall a detail of this or that, but whenever Jack could assist her by giving a context, he had. And with his undeniable but welcome aid, by telling her everything that he knew in Renee's pace, she had gotten to reconstruct part of her life; part of whom she actually had been before the coma. The more she regained, the more she recalled, and the less cloudy everything became. Initially there had been mere flashes, and as time had passed, she had gotten to remember even entire shreds of her past without Jack's assistance. He of course hadn't been there Renee's whole life, and therefore she unfortunately had been forced to depend on herself for most. That had almost immediately made both of them realize that actually, Jack and Renee in fact had only known each other for a very short time. Jack's assistance and presence had been very essential for Renee's recovery, though.

No one could say if she had or hadn't regained everything of her past memory-wise or not, because the one who could only really say that, was of course Renee herself. Doctors, however, assumed that she must have regained at least 75% of her memory by the end of her revalidation, set one year after she had woken up.

Renee had been forced to relearn reading and writing in addition, but that had gone fairly easy, too. The blue-eyed, reddish brunette had been quite adept in both before the coma, and that surely had made things easier for her. Oh, how had she been into reading late at night as a child, while curled up onto the couch or in bed.

With some more intense care, she too had retrieved most of her balance as well. She could do now almost anything anyone else could again barely one year later. However, she couldn't for instance walk that famous straight line because of some lasting balance issues. That, together with occasional lapsusses, and not being able to do tongue twisters as well anymore – whereas she actually had been terrific at that since her childhood. Lapsusses didn't only happen to those having been in a coma, though. And their occurrence already had become much less numerous. Renee's doctors believed that in time, there was a good enough chance of them even never occurring anymore. Jack and she could both live with that, though. She had come quite a way already.

Jack and Renee's relationship had remained purely platonic in the year after the coma, while she had lived in the hospital. There, however, had been lots of encouraging and loving hugs, and as time passed she slowly had allowed him that occasional little kiss as well. Further than that them both hadn't gone, though. That – the patience of his side and undeniable but encouraging presence – had made their relationship, their bond, maybe even more solid than it already had been.

Renee sighed, looking up, while discontinuing to trace the muscles on Jack's sweaty, bare chest with her fingertips. She looked into her lover's ocean colored eyes and smiled. He almost immediately copied that before reaching down to touch lips. She happily allowed it before securely wrapping herself more around him and lying her head down on his chest.

"You tired?" Jack questioned, stroking his lover's spine with one hand, while the other solely remained motionless on her hip.

She merely nodded against his chest before letting her eyes fall shut. Making love had been new to her in one way as well. This had felt like a very first time once more, while again learning to recognize the very particular sensations that washed over her at this or that, again learning to recognize the feeling of satisfaction after a year of having felt nothing like that. Renee sighed, settling better against his chest.

She was utterly exhausted, as happened so often lately. She got unbelievably tired by the least… way more easily than before. Even though that had gotten quite a lot better in the last year, and she would very slowly continue to recuperate, she really hated it at times.

Suddenly, Renee's eyes opened again, and she quietly rolled onto her side beside her lover. He looked at her sideways with an almost unnoticeable smile. The sound of her tummy rumbling brought them both to laughing. "I still have something edible lying around here somewhere," Jack announced, looking at her questioningly.

She smiled. "Sure." That was something else really odd that had altered since the coma: Renee's eating habits. She hadn't particularly liked bananas before, and ever since that day she had woken up, she didn't have any issues with them anymore. At the same time, she didn't fancy other things like strawberries as much anymore.

She carefully watched her lover's figure rise and ease on his pair of boxers before making his way to the kitchen. "I wouldn't have minded," Renee whispered, just loud enough for him to hear this upon reaching the doorway.

He suddenly came to a halt and turned his head. "I'm aware," he replied, slightly smiling, while shaking his head, before continuing his way to the kitchen to go get something edible for them indeed.

Renee's face then lit up, leaning over the edge of the bed to reach for his shirt and easing it on herself, before letting her feet slide from under the sheet, and touch the carpet and slowly getting up. Renee consciously left the shirt unbuttoned while walking after him into the kitchen. "Everything's so… untouched here," Renee whispered, watching him rummage through the oaken kitchen cupboards – mainly filled with tons of chip bags.

Jack intuitively turned his head to her and noticed the lack of fabric covering her, unconsciously swallowing. "Yeah…" Jack hadn't really taken the effort to get another accommodation since Renee had gotten shot, even though every time he had returned there, a stitch of guilt and pain had come across his chest. Thank goodness he hadn't been there often, and had usually been with his lover at the hospital.

However; when her doctors slowly began talking about Renee's discharge, he had finally determined to take that leap and find something else, though. He didn't need her to be reminded of what had happened at his former little residence and therefore, he now owned another, little flat a couple of streets further. He hadn't really taken the time to unpack his things yet, but at least everything had been moved already.

He quietly returned to the half filled kitchen cupboard and reached for the bag of crackers that he had been looking for, before shutting the cupboards again with his other, left hand. Renee's arms flung around his waist, as she carefully pulled herself nearer, flush against his back, wanting to feel the heat that radiated off his bare, scarred skin and allowing the scent of purely Jack in her nostrils. Jack slowly turned around to face her and lovingly tilted her head up to let their lips meet, his finger tucked under Renee's chin. He easily lifted her up onto the counter before him.

She giggled at Jack with a rather naughty smile around her lips, then suddenly became serious again. "What if we moved somewhere else, far away?" She wondered, lightly running her fingers through his hair, while looking into his eyes.

"Where?" He questioned, naturally.

"No idea. I just… I wanna begin… over with you and…"

"And you feel like you can't truly over here?" He questioned once again, with that hitting the nail on the head. He sighed, thoughtfully trailing her thighs for an instant, as she too remained quiet. "L.A.," he whispered, more to himself than anyone else, thinking about his daughter and granddaughter; thinking about his earlier intention to retreat from his old kind of life and just be a grandfather to Teri… and a good father to Kim. He had returned to it, though. And that soon had lead to him finding Renee… and her ending up shot and comatose.

Renee quietly raised her lover's head to hers this time, eyes meeting. "Would you like to go there, to L.A.?" She asked, doing her best to find an answer in his ocean colored eyes.

He sighed. "No idea. Do you?"


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Jack hadn't minded not having had to unload the boxes with his stuff.

His thoughts wandered to his daughter and little Teri. He felt somewhat nervous to see them again, after everything that had happened. He really loved both. Yeah, Jack was capable to love; to love very much even. Jack's untamable feeling of being responsible to fix everything that could threaten the innocent of society was near impossible to combine, though.

It felt… awkward, to be this quasi-unconcerned. Quasi, though. Quasi, because a piece of him feared that finally now he had obtained some rest and love in his life again, it would be taken away of him in one way or another. He needed to get accustomed to not being CTU anymore; to go through life as an 'ordinary kind' of man, even though that sounded ridiculous with his past.

A squeeze into his hand made him refocus. Jack had been looking through the window to the clouds beneath them, sunken deep into thoughts and worries. He quietly averted his gaze to look at his left into Renee's shimmering light blue eyes. She smiled affectionately at him. He partially repeated that by lifting one corner of his lips. "What are you thinking about?" Renee wondered.

"Nothing," Jack replied, leaning in to let his lips touch her forehead. A particularly soft scent penetrated his nostrils as he settled into his seat again, and he quietly wondered whether she was wearing perfume or if this scent happened to be uniquely Renee Walker. She seldom carried perfume on her, so he chose for the latter.

Renee's head lowered onto his shoulder, as she let go a sigh that could be described as a mixture of relief and satisfaction. She really could be happy again. "Maybe I should get myself some new things to wear in Los Angeles. I can't keep walking about in my usual darker attires between the big palm trees," she pondered.

"You look good in everything," Jack replied.

"Charmer."

Jack chuckled, barely audible. Their flight had left half an hour later than scheduled. It had been not that much longer since take-off. In a little less than five hours they would reach earth again at Los Angeles International Airport. They would overnight there at a hotel in the neighborhood before setting off to Kim's next day. Jack hadn't wanted to bother that late, especially now that their flight had been delayed and such.

It somehow felt good to realize that Kim and little Teri would be nearer now, that he actually could be there for both if necessary unlike the last couple of years. He felt as if he had failed to rescue his very own family and loved ones while doing his best to save anyone else.

Renee sighed. "What's bothering you?"

"I just… I'm sorry," she whispered.

"For?" Jack questioned. "I cannot think of anything you should be saying sorry for."

"For making you move about like this."

Jack's thumb ran over the top of Renee's hand. He then leaned in, letting his lips rest upon her forehead momentarily, before allowing them to wander up into her hair. "It doesn't really matter where we live as far as that's together," he whispered.

Renee chuckled. "Who would have ever thought… Jack Bauer, the romantic?"

He chuckled, too, before tucking her head under his chin, then wrapped an arm around her. This was made somewhat difficult by the seats, but it somehow worked. The lady in mid-fifties on Renee's other side, who had faked to be reading a fine knitting magazine – having been on the very same page since take-off – let her eyes inconspicuously wander sideways to the couple behind the thick rimmed, golden colored, round eyeglasses she wore.

Something in the way the both of them behaved together, in the way they were with each other, made it particularly hard not to look at them in envy. They had something together, something envious, rare, particular, magical, but otherwise indescribable to most anyone. Oh, not even the best writer would be able to describe it, but when you saw them both together, you would be able to say without a doubt that if anyone loved each other, it would be them.

"I love you," Renee whispered only for him to hear, before shutting her eyes. She vaguely heard his reply, before drifting into a daydream filled with palm trees rising up on each side, and swimming pools into the distance. The thought of a new beginning became more plausible every minute that passed and brought them nearer to L.A.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Come on," Jack said, eyes going over the luggage conveyor belt in impatience, searching for his suitcase. "I'm ravenous."

Renee was waiting by his side, a navy blue middle sized, and somewhat larger suitcase at her feet with the little roller bag she had taken as hand luggage resting onto it. One of Jack's huge suitcases was in between them. She quietly shook her head while amused at his impatience. He somehow appeared cute and boyish that way, despite age. Right then she only really thought about the difference in age lingering between them. She didn't for longer than that, though. She just didn't care. He might have been twice as old, and yet she wouldn't have cared. "I could use something edible, too," she announced, now on tip-toes to gaze past the number of others doing their best to gather their belongings ASAP and leave as well. "I never really liked the food in the air."

Jack momentarily eyed her sideways, taking in the shimmer within her light blue eyes; it had been quite a while since he had noticed it so unmistakable as now. He impetuously made it his new mission to let that shimmer shine through her eyes now over every day for the rest of their life together. "I was thinking about room service upon arriving at a hotel, but I'll take you to dinner instead then."

A sudden, uncharacteristic blush tickled Renee's cheeks pink. She felt like an unconcerned, teenage girl once again, being asked for a couple of cokes after school for the very first time by the most popular boy of their year. And that in the overly busy Los Angeles International Airport, surrounded by so many people of so many diverse nationalities, while waiting for the last of their suitcases… not keen on showing up.

She sighed, and Jack looked over at her again, worry etched between his brows as his forehead lightly creased. "You OK?" He wondered, before redirecting his eyes to the belt conveyor, while the rest of his body remained turned to her. His body language alone showed how much he actually loved her; how much she could draw him to her, and maybe how afraid he was to lose his Renee. The conveyer had gotten less heavily loaded than a couple of minutes before already, and the bunch of people gathered by it already had thinned, too. This did make it easier for him to look after the big grayish suitcase.

She nodded. "Sure, I'm just tired." She sighed once again. She felt guilty for feeling exhausted after having sat on her butt for over five hours – having been asleep for about four of them. She really hated to be so less energetic than before. She wouldn't even be able to run after a felon anymore now, through numerous cars in the middle of the street. At the same time, she felt quite grateful for being able to live a nearly normal life after the coma, whereas so many others would never get the chance to even see their loved ones again.

Renee unconsciously began tapping her foot now; Jack's damn second suitcase yet hadn't showed up. She couldn't say whether she was just getting fed up by herself or if Jack had affected her to feel the same. The check-in in Washington D.C. had gone over without issues. This could be considered getting even.

"Come on," Renee urged barely audible, eyes fixed onto the conveyor and the little reddish roller suitcase that had passed her at least four times already while waiting there, just as she suddenly noticed theirs tumbling onto the belt into the distance.

"Finally," Jack muttered, before nearing to lift the suitcase off as it came past him.

He then put it down next to him, before shuffling a couple of feet further, pushing the suitcases with his knee, not to hinder the other waiting passengers who surely wanted their belongings as well. "So," he sighed, looking down at the load of luggage at their feet. "How are we even going to do this?"

Renee suspected that he wouldn't allow her to carry anything again as had been the case earlier today. He possibly was even more concerned about her wellbeing now, after she had admitted how tired she was. She sighed. She, however, couldn't deny the fact that a good, tepid bath and comfortable bed with him by her side sounded very welcoming right now... She looked down at her ravenously rumbling tummy, which appeared to be for a change of schedule. Alright, that after getting some dinner with Jack then.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"Thank you," the bellhop kindly nodded at Jack after having been pushed a tip into the hand. He hadn't had time to look just how much, since the piece of paper had been folded, and deteriorated, before the door shut in his face. Jack had thought five dollars must have been enough for the chugging little boy running after them with most of the luggage, now gathered at the end of the bed.

There had only been a room with singular bed available, but – since Renee was beyond exhausted because of the walking, and the first couple of hotels near LAX both had been entirely full – this room, even though only singular, had been more than welcome.

Jack's eyes wandered over the bed – it appeared quite robust, and wide enough to hold them both if cuddled up together enough. "So let us go look at where I'm going to rest tonight," he said, before taking the door to what he assumed would be the bathroom with bath and shower. He could hear Renee's shuffling behind him as she carefully navigated between the luggage before appearing beside him into the doorway in as far that was possible.

"Oh, no way you're going to–" she began, eyes wide upon seeing the bath before them.

Jack chuckled. "Bathing together is a no for tonight indeed." He could feel her head upon his shoulder and looked down at her tenderly. "Are you still ravenous?" He questioned. She nodded, tiredly. "You're exhausted. What would you think about room service tonight, and me taking you for dinner tomorrow instead?" He suggested. He could see her withhold a yawn by the very subtle twitch in her eyes and mouth, before nodding. She had gotten good at hiding her exhaustion, but Jack couldn't be fooled. Even though they had known each other for just a while – and had met in odd circumstances – he had gotten very good at reading her.

A hand lovingly reached for her cheek. She almost immediately leaned into the touch and shut her eyes momentarily. Both of them remained quiet until she reopened her eyes again, and Jack's voice whispered, "Did I ever mention just how beautiful you are?"

Again, a rather uncharacteristic soft blush spread across her cheeks upon that. She smiled, before leaving the doorway and collapsing onto the bed, belly first, almost immediately releasing a wince. Jack at once hurried to her side, sitting down next to her onto the bed, and leaning in to search her pain contorted facial appearance for an indication of what was going on.

Another, softer wince escaped her lips as he hovered over her, being thoughtful enough not to ask anything so that she could save her breath for whatever it could be. "B-Back…" she barely got to utter after a pause in which she somewhat had recomposed.

"What happened? You've somehow hurt yourself?" He wondered, one hand resting onto her painful lumbar region. She just nodded into the mattress in reply. "How?" No reply came on that, though. So, experimentally, he lay himself down on his side beside her, one hand reaching for hers, to give her something to hold onto as another cautiously ran under her greenish T-shirt.

As Jack's fingertips touched the delicate, sensitive skin of her back, she immediately clutched onto his hand. She couldn't quite say whether or not she did this because of pain or maybe because of the pain that was almost surely yet to come. As Jack's light fingertips ran over her spine, she somehow found herself calming down slowly but surely. Oh, she must have just overstretched something while crashing down on the bed like that.

As her breathing became near to regular again, and the number of winces had minimized, Jack's voice sounded, "Feeling better?"

She nodded, carefully raising onto her side facing him. Surprisingly enough, the pain she had felt not that much earlier was nearly gone. Indeed, it must have been just a silly, innocent overstretching. Nothing to worry about in the least. Nothing to worry about by any means.

"So what about something edible?" He wondered.

"Wonderful."

He chuckled, noticing a telephone on the night table as he raised himself just a bit higher on an elbow. He reached over her uneasily with one arm to take hold of the telephone to order something for them both to eat. He was still beyond ravenous as well, he realized. Something… anything edible was very welcome right now.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Renee lightly patted her tummy, gazing up at her lover. They both eyed the plates that had been loaded with food earlier – not even that much earlier. She was seated in between his legs on the bed in the middle of the hotel room, him leaning against the headboard. They had fed one another occasionally – with him accidentally leaving whip cream onto her nose while doing his best to locate her mouth and such. "You sure were ravenous," Jack mentioned.

"Says who."

Both chuckled at that, and Renee cautiously turned on her side between his legs, resting her head onto his chest, securely wrapping both of her arms around his middle. Jack didn't need more of a cue to wrap his arms around her, too.

"How's your back?" He questioned.

"Better. Nothing to worry about."

"You sure?"

"Mmm-hmm," she replied, settling better against his chest, and allowing her lips to leave a couple of short, wet kisses – Jack lightly groaned. Even though he tactfully moved to push her away, she just continued pushing her lips against the heated, smooth skin beneath her. He somehow must be enjoying it, because if he really wanted to he could have easily pushed her away more effectively than now.

"What are you doing?" Jack wondered.

"Nothing," she replied, innocently.

Even though she was physically drained, Renee Walker was never quite exhausted enough to deny him. She was absolutely nuts about him for sure, and she personally didn't care. She slowly raised herself higher against his chest, now wrapping her arms around his shoulders instead, before passionately kissing his lips. As necessity of air interrupted them, they looked into one another's eyes attentively.

Jack could see lust lingering in the deep ocean blue, and he himself wanted nothing but to reply to her need, but wasn't it very selfish of him to do so, when aware of how tired she was? Renee easily determined for him that it wasn't by straddling him before leaning in rapidly to let her lips again meet his. Their lips parted almost simultaneously. Jack's eager tongue first investigated her well-defined lower lip, sensually shoving over it with the tip, as hers awkwardly but surely inspected his upper likewise. Somewhere in the middle of their investigation, their heated, wet tongues suddenly met each other. This lead them into whirling over and around one another, as their lips somehow succeeded in rubbing against one another while their touch lasted, too.

As they parted once again, Jack's hand reached up to touch his lover's left cheek. The both of them gazed into one another's eyes for a while, until Renee looked down with a smile. She slowly heaved her leg over him again, before settling on her side half beside, half onto Jack. Maybe she was too tired anyway. The thought of sleep sounded particularly good right now; the thought of slipping into a state in which one could dream freely about anything one wanted without having to do anything peculiar for it. Wasn't it magical, that one state called sleep and more particularly REM phase, which allowed your imagination to go wild?

Jack securely folded one arm around her, using another to slide further down, before struggling with the sheet, and pulling it over them both. Tonight was unusually chilly. That happened every now and then, even though the temperatures reached at day. Jack had been here before, though. He vaguely recognized the vision, the smell… the taste of Los Angeles.

Renee's eyes fell shut, and she slowly released a tired, but evenly satisfied sigh. Her breath tickled Jack's bare chest as she did, and he looked down on her lovingly. Even though most of their time had consisted of her asleep until then, he wouldn't exchange it for anything else. They had gotten so much better with one another on more levels than Jack could have imagined; it was very unique, and maybe just because of that Jack feared even more to lose it.

His fingers ran over and through Renee's burgundy red hair, subtly brushing some strands away so that he could see her facial appearance better. She was just beautiful. He wondered if he maybe should feel guilty to even think this, since the mother of his daughter Kim… No, Teri had been beautiful in her own, entirely other way than Renee was.

"I wanna grow old with you, Jack..."

He briefly watched her, wondering if she had already slouched into a sleep or not. He easily determined not to ponder about it, but to just accept these words.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

One would never be able to guess that there ever could be so much pit into that woman lying onto his chest, fast asleep. Somehow Jack couldn't get to La La land. He didn't mind gazing at her instead, though – not even if it would last the entirety of the night. He quietly fondled through her hair, then chuckled to himself almost inaudibly.

She wasn't really overly tall. Renee had lost possibly just some weight too much while having been fed repulsive hospital food, too. That, however, didn't mean Jack hadn't helped her sin occasionally and brought her something more tasteful every now and then when returning to her after having left her side for one night or such. He would like her no matter what size, but he had to obstinately admit to himself he had liked her just a bit curvier, like before; like when they had met. She somehow appeared unhealthy being so thin.

No one could imagine how much attitude she actually had within her being, even though it is retold by many that red haired women tend to behave that way. That surely counted for Renee. That hadn't changed after the coma. She was so headstrong, and that would doubtlessly never change. If she had set her mind to something, it would happen as well and very likely in no other way than hers either. He smiled. Maybe that was just one of the reasons why Jack loved her so much. He actually liked women with pit. It sometimes showed itself when she woke up querulous at dawn. That usually didn't last longer than a couple of minutes, though. "I love you," he whispered. Jack sighed. Renee had once almost begged to hear if he could even feel something. She had wanted to hear if he was actually human; if he could feel her slap his cheek. Twice, she had repeated her question while hitting him, until he had discontinued her, and there she had fallen into his embrace… soon enough having pushed him away again.

Mere things had changed between them. He hoped that now, she wouldn't have to question his love anymore, let alone if he could even feel anything. He felt quite different, slowly having come to realize after Renee's near death; after years of seemingly having auditioned for the role of Rambo… how much he had changed, maybe in the worse. He had never been particularly romantic, but had considered himself a rather good, loving husband to Teri and good father to their daughter. That had changed when he had begun appealing everything to higher loyalties. And slowly indeed he had strayed away from whom the unknown Jack Bauer had been.

Another stitch of guilt formed into his chest. Teri's last few years of life, Jack had been nothing of what a husband should be. He almost hadn't been there for her anymore, nor Kim. Oddly enough, he didn't really regret anything of what he had done, though. He, however, regretted the consequences of it; maybe regretted not having been there enough to make Teri's last years good ones. He immediately rationalized that within his thoughts by adding that he couldn't have known that she would lose her life. He for sure regretted not having seen that coming; not having been able enough to save her… to save the life of his daughter's mom. Jack surely regretted not having been there for Kim, especially in the years after, when she had needed him most, but couldn't rely upon her father.

He sighed, looking down at his resting Renee. He too lamented having been unable to foresee the danger Renee had been in and not having had the possibility to keep her from getting wounded in battle, and suffering the consequences of the coma that had somehow been the reason for her still being alive.

He knew that Renee must be frustrated about the fact not being able to do anything much without being breathless and exhausted for the rest of the day. Sometimes it appeared somewhat like a type of myalgic encephalomyelitis. He indeed hoped that it would slowly get better and pass later on.

At last, taken everything in consideration… There were many things he regretted, even though it weren't the number of people he had killed in order to save the lives of hundreds, or maybe thousands of innocent ones instead.

He smiled, gazing down on her one last time. Maybe he could make up for his bad parenting skills of lately and be a far better grandfather to Teri, too.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Jack squinted into the distance at the number in golden curly type beside the shiny white door of the detached little house to make sure they had indeed reached their destination right. After having confirmed that fact for a number of times into his mind, he briefly nodded to Renee, before gathering the very last suitcase and handing the waiting taxi driver thirty dollars. Mr. Taxi Driver nodded at him kindly, before easily tipping off his cap, then putting it back onto his head and settling behind the wheel again, taking off. Jack continued looking after him until he could no longer distinct him in the distance. Everything was awfully quiet and yet at the same time filled with life. This must be one of the best neighborhoods in L.A. indeed, just like Kim had told him. He would like to reside somewhere with Renee and grow old with her there.

As Jack turned his attention back to the house, he could see the neatly painted white door being opened, revealing a widely smiling Kim. His attention soon directed just a couple of feet lower, though… noticing little Teri squirm past her mother in the doorway  and run over the lawn fast toward him, screaming, "Grandpa!"

Jack first looked at his daughter, brows raised, wondering since when little Teri called him 'grandpa'. He quietly assumed Kim must have repeated it often enough ever since having been notified he and Renee were coming over, especially stressing on the whole 'grandpa' thing.

Jack smiled wider, easily bending down to catch little Teri upon reaching him, before getting up again with her gathered in his arms. "Hi," he whispered, kissing his granddaughter's forehead.

Teri's big eyes directed almost immediately to her grandfather's companion, and she began squirming to be released and go observe the red haired lady nearer, by herself. She began wiggling her legs until Jack had gotten her intention and had put her down on her feet again. She quietly walked over to Renee, merely a couple of feet further, lots of heavy bags shedding her and grandpa Jack. She held both hands behind her back, gazing up at Renee with curiosity, lightly swinging backward and forth onto her feet. "Hi!" She welcomed, happily.

Jack curiously watched them as the corner of Renee's mouth twitched and curved it into a smile as she replied just about as sweet, "Hi, Teri."

At that, little Teri turned her attention back toward her grandpa, wondering, "Grandpa Jack, how does she know my name?"

"Grandpa," Kim stressed, having neared them without any of them really having noticed. She smiled, leaning in to hug her father, whispering, "Hi, Dad," before turning toward her daughter who was still looking at her, waiting for more to come. "Grandpa and Renee are uhm…" she tried, but found herself unable to think of how she should say that her grandpa and Renee were lovers. Thank goodness, Teri's curiosity peaked again at the mention of the unknown lady's name, and she immediately interrupted her mommy's unfinished struggle with words.

She quietly crossed both arms over her chest, suddenly looking ridiculously serious and adult for her age and size as she turned back to Renee, wondering, "Do you like my grandpa?"

"Teri!" Kim warned.

Renee merely laughed at the curiosity of the preschooler before her, just momentarily shaking her head with a smile, before crouching down at Teri's height and confirming for both her and Kim just in case, "Yeah, I do like your grandpa very much."

A smile came onto little Teri's lips at hearing the red haired lady's affirmative reply. "OK," she said after a short ongoing silence, very satisfied, before running over to her grandpa again and taking his hand before beginning to pull him toward the door and inside. "Come on, grandpa Jack! You really gotta see the ponies I got!"

Renee slowly raised again, facing Kim. Both women smiled at each other politely. "Hi," Kim welcomed, leaning in to hug her father's lover.

Renee felt somewhat overwhelmed at the very kind welcome. She surely couldn't have anticipated this, but she really valued it highly.

"You are looking good," Kim said, as both women broke apart. "Happy, too. That's good." She almost immediately got a smile in reply that served as a very good thank you. She sighed, incredulously eying the luggage gathered up at their feet with no helping male hand in sight. "I guess that the typical man's job is gonna be ours now."

Renee chuckled, lightly. "I guess so," she said, before taking hold of her suitcases, as Kim thoughtfully gathered the rest.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

"I'm sorry it isn't that big," Kim apologized, upon pushing the door to the guestroom open with her foot and leading Renee into it as both women carried inside some luggage. "Our bedroom's right across, and Teri's is right next to ours, with the many pinkish butterflies at the door, as you already could have guessed . That other, first door we have passed on the left, leads to the bathroom," Kim summed up.

"It is… perfect," Renee uttered, gazing around at the soft blue painting against the wall, and light, wooden parquet. As she looked up again, Renee's eyes fell upon the half open window, which gave perfect view on a very big palm, and the rest of the garden behind the house. Somewhere in the far, far distance – if you squinted really well – one could see the beach, with sea retracting in low tide.

Today was a rather hot summer's day in mid July with around 90 degrees Fahrenheit even though only barely eleven before noon. It would be even hotter once after noon. One could see the palms lightly waving backward and forth behind the window, even though wind was almost unperceivable otherwise. The azure blue sky was basically cloud-free; a bright, yellow-orange sun into its midst, easily spreading its warmth upon them. Today was a truly wonderful day in Los Angeles, like many. Renee quietly wondered how the weather would be in Washington about now – likely not much different than here.

Kim smiled, turning around to go downstairs again, as Renee followed her. Both women found Jack sitting on the carpet in the middle of the wide living room, as little Teri proudly showed him her new ponies; it was rather funny to see the hardcore CTU sit there smiling dumbly at his granddaughter – touchy even.

Kim quietly shook her head backward and forth smiling. Renee just remained in the doorway looking at them both, as Kim disappeared into an adjacent little room. She already returned a couple of minutes later with a briefcase, and a jacket hung over her arm. She momentarily rested the briefcase on the couch before turning to her father. "I somehow got to take this half day off, but I can't really be late for the rest of my shift. Are you going to be alright with Teri?"

"It is quite nice today. Maybe we could take her into town, or to the beach or something," Renee suggested, looking at Jack questioningly.

He almost immediately nodded his head. "Sure."

Kim smiled. "I bet she would like that very much, but don't let her alone in the water and not without swimming armbands either. I'm aware that she's able to swim, and that she'll most likely argue, but… Well, armbands must be somewhere with Teri's swimming suit and little sun cap in the right upper layer of her wardrobe. And so should her plastic beach toys. A large, dark blue beach bag should be there as well to put your stuff in. Oh, and don't forget to rub her with sunscreen about half an hour before leaving, and reapply at least every two hours as well. I have got no idea where it is, but I'm guessing that there's another bottle in the bag, too. I don't have time anymore to go look for it now, though."

Jack's eyes widened at the bunch of information being thrown at him, rapidly batting them to try memorize everything. Kim must have gone in 'mummy mode', the mode in which she usually cleared everything concerning her daughter in details very fast… and anticipated him to get it without any issue. It wasn't the very first time he had seen her like this, but still he had trouble getting everything just like she had rambled it off.

Renee didn't appear to have any trouble getting 'mummy language', though… for she nodded at Kim meaningfully and added, "We'll find it." Jack wondered if it was typical for women.

"Okay," Kim said, picking up her briefcase once again, and walking to the doorway. "Stephen has left L.A. a day before yesterday. He's going to be in New York until next Wednesday, but I'll be home around seven." Jack nodded, watching her crouch down to kiss her daughter's forehead lovingly. "Have fun with grandpa and Renee, sweetie," she whispered, before making her way to the door, opening it, and saying, "There's spaghetti! I'll eat something on the way! Bye!" to everyone listening in general, before letting it fall shut behind her and leaving her daughter under the care of her father and Renee for now.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

So, not so much longer after Kim had left, leaving the care of her daughter with her father and his companion, Renee had gone through the kitchen cabinets in search for the spaghetti Kim had mentioned before hastily shutting the door after her.

In one of the kitchen cabinets, Renee had indeed discovered a pack of spaghetti that appeared quite easy to cook. So, while Renee had searched for the necessary pots and pans to do the task and began cooking the spaghetti, Jack had gone upstairs with his granddaughter in search of the things Kim had mentioned in her lengthy, unwritten checklist of earlier.

In the twenty minutes it had taken Renee to cook them spaghetti, Jack still hadn't succeeded in finding anything on Kim's list. After lunch and having figured that dishes could wait until later – with little Teri's aid, Renee had gotten upstairs to find everything Kim had mentioned in half the time it had taken for her lover to find nothing. She had wondered nearly aloud if this could be another typical guy thing – never being able to find the most obvious things.

Indeed, an unopened bottle of high sunscreen had been into the navy blue beach bag Kim had mentioned. So while Renee had been busy rubbing the four-year-old with the sunscreen – with surprisingly little protest from the latter's side, Jack had been rummaging through their luggage to find towels and the like.

By one, the three of them had been ready to go. Teri had gotten a layer of sunscreen at least half an hour earlier. She was wearing her bright pink swimming suit with glitters under her light blue summer dress with flowers in more bright colors than one could ever think existed. An almost matching light blue sun cap protected her head like Kim had ordered, and her plastic beach toys and swimming armbands and the bottle of sunscreen were packed in the bag.

There, however, had been one thing on the list causing an issue. Teri must not be left alone in the water. That would imply that either or both of her babysitters had beach/swimming attires, and that wasn't the case. A former CTU and former FBI weren't particularly in need of anything like that… until today.

And so it happened Renee had ordered their taxi driver to drop them off in the city, where they could find some last minute beach attires before going to the beach on foot; it was only a rather short distance from there.

Renee chuckled, picking a very colorful men's swimming shorts with figures off the rack, and holding it in front of Jack's face. She chuckled louder at his utterly bewildered face, which couldn't be more in the contrary to little Teri's lit up one, as Jack held her on his arm. "You cannot be serious," he said, taking another disgusted look upon the piece of fabric.

Renee just rolled her eyes at his lack of humor, then picked a somewhat soberer pair from the rack and held it in front of him. His face didn't betray any better thought about this one than the more colorful swimming shorts. She sighed. "What?"

"Renee, I'm not going to wear anything like that."

She sighed again. "Then what are you going to do; just sit there by the side watching in your jeans and t-shirt? Come on, Jack!" He didn't reply, and so she supposed that indeed that had been his plan. She thus put the grayish swimming shorts in the rack again, before moving to the women's rack to find something for her instead. Jack was hopeless.

Jack could see her consciously run through swimming suits, and got that most likely she wanted to cover up as much of the scar that the bullet of last year had left. Unlike many others, though, Jack really thought that Renee had absolutely the perfect figure to be wearing a bikini. Therefore, he didn't say anything, but took a flowery green bikini from the rack that was nearest to him and held it in front of her suggestively.

Renee looked up to see him holding the kind of beach wear she would have wore in her late teens and early twenties. It only then struck her just how much time must have passed since she had gone to the beach with friends or others.

It should be her size... "OK," she said, "but then you're taking something as well."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Who would have ever thought to see Jack Bauer in swimming shorts at the beach with his girlfriend and granddaughter? No one, and therefore it didn't happen either.

Renee had been headstrong enough to get him to buy the grayish, sober swimming shorts as she had taken the bright green bikini with flowers on his suggestion. Jack had been obstinate enough not to wear it as well, though. Renee, however, had gotten him far enough to at least undo his shirt... And so it had happened quasi like Jack had planned and Renee had anticipated: him sitting by the side as she and little Teri were playing in the water, both giggling girlishly regardless the difference in age.

Renee looked down to check if the top of her bikini still covered everything she wanted to cover up. The bikini was about two sizes smaller than everything else she wore, and it wasn't even that small for her. Indeed, she must have lost quite some weight. And indeed, she must go shopping for other things soon as well. She couldn't go walking around in slob attires until she had gained again. Gaining wouldn't be easy, since she barely got to eat half of what she used to before being full. Ah, maybe she would regain her appetite in time, too.

She chuckled, swimming backward slowly into the un-deep crystal water and letting little Teri hook onto her toes with her little pinkish hands and surf along as she did. She made sure not to go too deep, though, with the preschooler's only forty-three inches in height. She wouldn't go any further as to where she could reach the sand with her feet, and come with her head above water still.

Renee turned over into the water, and stood. The water almost reached her butt, so this must be deep enough. Little Teri stood, too. The water almost reached her chin. Indeed, deep enough. Teri giggled aloud as Renee easily took her hands, and swirled her around into the water.

Jack watched them both from a distance. From there, the scar on Renee's lower abdomen wasn't visible anymore, even though it had been obvious in close-up earlier. She was such a very brave woman, actually daring to wear a bikini with so many scars in different spots of her body. The bullet wound one surely wasn't the only one. He wondered if he maybe should feel guilty for even having offered a bikini without words. She looked so happy, so that feeling washed over soon.

As Jack sat looking at his girls, he came to realize how often he actually had felt guilty lately, and how often he had found himself sunken in thoughts. He wondered if it would blow over, or if he would be doomed to forever ponder about the kind of life he had lead and left in D.C.

Before he fully well realized, Renee sank down on the towel beside him panting, with Teri in her arms. Little Teri wasn't quite tired yet and squirmed herself free, crawling over to the bag in which she knew her toys were. She didn't appear to have noticed her blue sun cap falling off, or couldn't care less. She just continued picking her toys from the bag and put them beside her into the sand until she had gathered everything: her red plastic bucket, her shovel, her rake, and four little figurines: one in the form of a goldfish, another one in the form of a star, yet another one in the form of an octopus, and another, last one in the form of a sea-turtle. Just as she quietly moved to crawl off, Jack, however, easily snatched Teri by her foot and pulled her to him again. The happy, little preschooler shrieked with laughter. Jack swiftly took Teri's sun cap from beside her, waved it backward and forth in his hand to get rid of most sand, before putting it onto her head.

She almost immediately reached up and threw it off again. Jack, too astounded to react immediately, watched her crawl off. A laugh from beside him sounded, then Renee's voice, "She's already too much like her grandpa."

So, she took Teri's cap, before crawling a few feet further to where Teri had sat herself down with her toys, then waved with it and put it onto the preschooler's blond head without protest. She looked up at Jack accomplished. Jack just rolled his eyes.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Renee quietly returned to her lover and laid down on her back beside him in exhaustion. With one eye still directed towards his granddaughter, Jack looked down at her, stroking her cheek with his hand. "You're tired," he noticed.

"I'll be fine," she replied, moving her hand over his, before getting up again into a sitting position and leaning against his side lovingly. It would never be too hot to feel him near and to feel his arm wrap around her waist and pull her even closer. They both looked at little Teri with a smile on their lips, Renee's somewhat wider than her lover's; it was just amazing how fast the happy, little child had trusted her. Renee was grateful, for Kim giving her that chance. She hadn't seen either of them lately and didn't even know Renee that good.

The preschooler was busy filling the bucket at her knees with sand by the aid of her shovel, making sure to be careful enough so that she didn't drop any sand beside it. She was one of a kind for sure. She was a Bauer, so that could cover it at least partially.

A little boy considerably younger than she slowly padded closer to Teri, looking at what she was doing with big, curious and maybe longing eyes. "Matthew…?" It suddenly sounded from beside Jack and Renee. Both looked up momentarily to see an African American woman in early thirties with another toddler on her hip, looking at what they assumed was her son.

She carefully put down her daughter, and shook her head smiling as all three adults noticed the little boy saying something, then Teri looking up before nodding her head. The boy sat down by her with a smile and began helping little Teri with his bare hands, even though he barely managed to carry any sand to the bucket, because most of it had already run though his tiny fingers by the time they reached Teri's bucket.

"He often runs off whenever he sees a chance. I merely have to lose his hand for one second, and the next he's gone," she sighed, now spreading a large, colorful plaid before sitting down on it. "Paige?" She called, pulling a tiny bottle containing something that looked like apple juice from the backpack she had carried earlier and showing it to her daughter, who came running over the plaid immediately to come get it. "She's a sweetie," the woman said.

"Yeah, she is," Renee agreed, looking at the little girl called Paige.

The African American woman smiled. "I meant your daughter," she said, nodding towards little Teri that was now playing happily with the little boy. In the seconds they had looked away, they had gotten to make a sand castle together – having turned the sand filled bucket upside down and having lifted it again to see the form of it in sand.

"Oh, she's not…" Renee began.

"She's my granddaughter," Jack finished.

The woman looked from Teri to both of them astounded with wide eyes. She didn't seem to know what to say at that information, but said after a few minutes of silence, in which she had most likely weighed her words carefully, "Oh. I'm sorry." At that, she turned all her attention back to her daughter, now pulling a book with little drawings from the depths of her backpack. The little girl immediately sat down by her mother's side to look into the book with wide, interested eyes.

Renee sighed, laying back down and shutting her eyes against the brightness of the sun. She could see lights flashing behind her eyelids for a couple more seconds, though, then squinted from between her lashes at the still cloud-free sky. She used to lay in the backyard of their home when she was little, looking at the clouds and trying to discover figures in them. When she had been very little, her mom would join her and help her, or question the things she saw teasingly. "That's no elephant, is it?" She would say. On which the little, already stubborn Renee would look into her mother's eyes in oblivion that she couldn't see it, saying, "Mommy. It is."

She sighed. Amazing, that she still could recall things from her childhood like that after everything. One hand intuitively rested on her lower abdomen. She quietly wondered how her life would have looked like as a married woman with children. She tried to imagine herself as one, but found herself unable to.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

She slumped into a whirl of thoughts, not in the least consisting of numerous 'what if's. She would most likely never have children. Jack already was a grandfather, even though they didn't alter that much in age. And right now, like she had for over a year now and would very likely forever do, she couldn't think of any other man she wanted to be with the way she and Jack were right now. She didn't know how she should call what they had, that particular mutual understanding and indescribable magic between them. Were they soul mates? Companions? Lovers? Were they boyfriend and girlfriend? Sweethearts?

Renee had repressed the need to ask him mere times since leaving Washington D.C. 'Jack, what are we now?' She had wanted to begin again with him, and the ability to do that over here called, but as what were they commencing over now? What actually were they to each other?

She then released a long held sigh, letting her fingers slide over the scar to drop beside her again. That was fine. There had never even been time to think about children or a family. Her job hadn't allowed her to – especially in the last years. It wouldn't make sense to begin thinking about something you would have for the rest of your lifetime, when every second you were alive, you were in danger and risked ending up dead for knowing too much, or as a warning for someone else that it was serious.

It was then that a loud cry came from beside her, immediately followed by a gasp from someone else. "Teri!" She shot up straight in a flash, lights dazzling before her eyes as a consequence of that upon opening them. By the time she could focus and looked beside her, Jack wasn't there anymore. She looked at the sandy spot where Teri and the little boy had sat. The little boy was crying by the remains of what had been a sand castle a couple of minutes earlier. Teri was nowhere to be seen.

The boy cried over to his mommy in tears, Renee noticed from the corners of her eyes, as she tried her best to locate little Teri or Jack. It was then she could see the latter running like mad along the shore, seemingly following an elder guy clad in jeans and a black shirt… holding Teri. Renee took a deep breath, getting up and running after them as fast as she could.

After a couple of miles, a stitch already announced itself at the height of her ribcage. She pushed a hand against it and continued running nevertheless. There was only one thing she could think of right then, one name that played into her mind like a mantra: Teri.

She could see Jack launch himself at the guy's side, and he dropped Teri into the sand beside him. Good job, Jack, she thought within herself as she continued running to reach Teri, who was now crying at the level of unwanted adventure. It must have been risky to launch himself at the guy without taking the chance he would fall and crush Teri or worse. Thankfully, nothing of that had happened.

She finally reached them, taking up Teri in her arms and sinking down on her knees in the sand. She shut her eyes against the nausea that overwhelmed her. No good idea to run like mad after them. She forced herself to open her eyes again and noticed the other adult on his back in the sand, being held down by Jack's knee.

Jack had his fist raised ready to punch him, screaming, "Who are you? Who do you work for?"

"Jack," Renee interrupted, holding his fist. "Think about the number of children here."

That seemed to do it. Jack's nostrils momentarily flared. He then got up to let the two rescuers handle it, who came to their aid just then. They appeared to know him, for they addressed him by his name. "Stewart, been looking for another victim of your sick habits again?"

"I'm sorry," one of the rescuers explained. "He's known to wander around this beach looking for innocent children like your daughter." Neither did the effort to put the mistake of their relation right. "It isn't the first time he got caught here. He only got released last week. We were warned for him. He's going back to jail for good this time."

Jack looked at Renee. "He might as well have been working for one of the enemies I have made through the years."


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

"He wasn't," Renee whispered once again as they both sat watching the television – or rather, it played. Teri was playing with her ponies on the carpet at their feet. She didn't seem to be bothered with what had happened earlier today anymore. She just seemed like a normal, happy four-year-old waiting for her mommy to come home from work.

Kim had called half an hour ago to say that she would be home late. Something had happened on the road. A truck with animals had slipped, and that had caused some lines on the highway. She had hoped to be home around eight latest. The clock rang once to indicate seven-thirty at that moment. There was no sign of Kim or any sound that indicated her car had pulled up in the driveway. Jack cherished every moment of Kim's absence to prolong having to tell her what had happened at the beach earlier. He rather not, but knew he would have to sooner or later either way.

"He maybe not, no… but it is ridiculous to think that we could be safe anywhere. It was no good idea to come here. I have brought Kim in enough danger already just by being her father; I'm not going to repeat the same mistake with my granddaughter."

Renee nodded. "Yes, Jack, but do you hear what you're saying? Are we doomed to be forever running for the past? Are we doomed to look over our shoulders wherever we go, and with whatever we do?" She looked into Jack's greenish blue eyes. "Didn't you promise me that with Chloe's help we would be able to really commence over again here without having to worry about anything? Didn't you promise me that it would be over?"

That's when tears spilled over. Before Jack, however, had the chance to say or do something, Renee got up and disappeared. The sound of her footfalls on the stairs filled his ears, followed by a door being opened and falling shut right after. Jack sighed, then noticed his granddaughter looking at him with big, curious eyes, questioning, "–Nee?"

Jack nodded. "Renee's fine. She's just tired." And pretty much upset as well, because of your own damn fault, Jack Bauer. He cursed himself internally, watching little Teri just continue playing, believing him on his word.

Chloe O'Brian was very good at her job. He should trust her ability to keep them both safe. He should stop thinking as a CTU and more as a regular kind of person; or maybe he should just stop promising Renee that he would, when both of them knew he wouldn't.

He could hear Kim's car pull up in the driveway, and Teri raised her head with a wide smile as she too recognized the sound. As the heavy garage door opened, Jack sighed, having hoped to have been able to postpone this moment longer. She would most likely think this was all his fault, yell at him that while he had saved the rest of the earth, he couldn't even keep an eye on his granddaughter well. Oh no, he really didn't look forward to this.

He could hear the garage door close again, and soon he heard more doors opening and shutting, before Kim appeared in the doorway to the living room. Kim put her bag and jacket down on the couch, picking up little Teri who immediately ran for her. "I'm sorry," she said. "I really had bad luck with the traffic today. Where's Renee?"

"She was tired."                                                 




Kim nodded, turning to her daughter. "I believe that it is past bed time for you already, lady. Have you waited for mommy to tuck you in, yeah?" She questioned, rhetorically. "You're washed already, I see. Did you have fun today?" She smiled upon seeing her daughter smile brightly and nod vigorously. She chuckled, laughing at her father as she passed him on the way upstairs to tuck her daughter in.

Jack heard another set of footsteps climb the stairs, hearing the sounds of a happily talking Teri die away. He looked at the television without really paying attention. Sooner than he would have wanted it, he could hear the very same footsteps come down the stairs again. He couldn't say how long she must have been upstairs.

"Dad?" Kim questioned, as she came into the living room again, looking serious as she sat down quietly. "Is everything alright with Renee, because…?"

Jack looked up at his daughter even more serious, before heaving a very deep sigh, momentarily shutting his eyes, before saying, "Kim… There's something that I have got to tell you."


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

"What?" Kim repeated for about the fourth time after her father had finished elucidating what had happened earlier at the beach. He, however, hadn't said a word about how that correlated with Renee's being upset.

He sighed, watching Kim hide her head in her hands and take a rather deep breath before looking up at her father again. "You know… It isn't your fault. It might have happened to me or Stephen as well. Maybe I'm just lucky that it was you, who could run after him." Jack quirked an eyebrow. This wasn't really the reaction he would have expected from Kim. "But, we're talking about my daughter here. Your granddaughter. I can't even imagine what…" That's when tears rolled over her cheeks, and her throat was so sore that she couldn't speak anymore. Crying was more what Jack had expected, but that didn't mean he disliked it any less.

He remained quiet, while looking at Kim. She regained fairly fast, before looking up at her father seriously. "What happened?"

Even though the question was abstract, Jack immediately understood what she meant and took a breath before replying. "The felon wasn't unknown to the rescuers. He's a…" Jack didn't quite know if he should share this piece of information, but was sure that she would ask him until she knew everything either way. "He's a registered child offender." He fought back the word 'molester'. Kim gasped, as he could have guessed, new tears springing into her eyes. "He was released last week. The rescuers were tipped that he would most likely fall back into old patterns and look for new victims in the same places as before he was caught. He did, indeed. They called the police. They took our testimonies and details and promised that would be enough to put him behind bars for life."

"Why didn't they before?"

"I don't know, Kim."

She nodded, wiping at her eyes to clear the evidence that she had cried. She looked at her father questioningly again. She somehow felt that this had something to do with the fact she had heard Renee cry upstairs, and she wanted to know if she was right. "You feared that they had followed and found you, didn't you?" She whispered.

Jack understood whom she meant with 'they'. He nodded.

"And you told Renee?"

He nodded again, looking down at his toes sighing.

"Great."

Yeah, he had told her, and that had not been that good of an idea. He really wished that he hadn't, had he known how it would affect her. Deep inside, he had already known maybe, but whenever things went bad, he trusted on his instinct as a CTU. And the CTU in him would see conspiracies behind everything. That would most likely never change, not in the least because in the last few years there had been nothing but conspiracies and forays. Nothing or no one had looked as they seemed. Everything had been so much more difficult and connected as had appeared to be on first sight. No one had been able to trust. After having lived like that, it was particularly hard to let go of it.

First, he felt quite proud of Renee, for being able to effectively put it aside, while he couldn't. Immediately after that, however, he felt mad at her, for being so foolish not to see the dangers anymore. Then he felt mad at himself, for not being able to let go of the CTU in him, and for not giving Renee the unconcerned life she had longed for and had been promised by Jack Bauer himself. Maybe he was foolish to make that promise to her, while aware how hard it would be for him to go through life as unconcerned himself? Or maybe it was just foolish to not be able to do it?

"Dad?" Kim questioned.

"Yeah?"

"You are way more thoughtful than I have seen you in years."

And how right she was on that. He didn't reply her in any way.

"Listen, Dad," she began, "I can't come in between Renee and you, so I won't… but if Chloe ensured you that you would be safe, then I trust her on that. After what you have told me, Renee's been through quite a lot. I think she deserves to be unconcerned and happy. And so do you as well."

"I can't," he said through clenched teeth, more to himself than anyone else.

"You can. She loves you. And if you love her back, then try a bit harder."


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

"Daddy?" Kim's voice sounded through the little living room as she entered it, and saw her father lying curled up on the couch in a rather odd position. At the sound of her voice, Jack's body stirred, and eyes fluttered open. He shot up into sitting position and immediately reached for his neck, rubbing it in an try to make it feel better, even though the instinct didn't necessarily mean it would help indeed. He had gotten used to waking up sore after having slept awkwardly in the past year, by the many times he had experienced it in the period that Renee had been into the coma, and after that while she had been revalidating and still often been asleep as well. "Daddy, why are you sleeping on the couch?" He looked up into his daughter's eyes.

"Well… Renee was quite upset last night, so I thought that…"

Kim immediately nodded, not letting him finish. "Coffee?"

He nodded. "That wouldn't be half bad," he said, watching her walk into the adjoining kitchen, and reach into the cupboard right above the fridge in search for a pad to put into her Senseo coffee maker. She reached for the cupboard right beside it for two cups and placed them under the machine, before carefully closing it and pushing a button. She turned around at her father before selecting the two cup option and waiting for the cups to fill with steaming hot coffee.

She took both cups, brought one to her lips, before walking back into her living room and handing the other to her father, who too took a sip from the black coffee. "Thank you." They both shared their preference for black coffee. One of the many things they shared. In appearance, one wouldn't immediately be able to say they were father and daughter, but surely they had a lot in common concerning characteristics and habits. Kim yawned, sitting herself down on the couch opposite him.

"Still tired?"

She nodded. "Yeah. I'll be happy to have freer hours once I get to teaching at university."

"You're going to be teaching at university?" Jack wondered, almost suffocating into another sip of coffee at hearing this. This was the first he heard of Kim switching jobs. He had thought she liked working at the computer repair thing.

"Yeah. I never wanted to keep working at the computer repair store. It's boring work. So I filled in an application to begin at university to teach ICT classes. It got accepted last week. I can begin with giving a couple of classes to some first Bachelors in October. I'll just keep working at the computer repair store until then, but the new hours will fit much better. It's far closer, and I'll likely not be home as late as last night anymore, nor have to leave as early. That way I can spend more time with Teri. These are quite long hours."

"When do you begin working today?"

"Eight-thirty," she replied, getting up to walk back into the kitchen and place her cup into the sink. "I don't think everything of the accident from last night is gathered already, so I guess I better leave a bit earlier than yesterday. I might have to wait in a line, or drive a bit around if necessary. I'll be home at seven, I hope. If nothing happens on the road like yesterday. I can miss that for two days in a row."

Jack nodded. "I guess we'll just be staying home today."

Father and daughter looked into each other's eyes for a moment, just being quiet for a little while, both of them thinking about the very same. After a moment, they looked down around the same time. They could no longer look into each other's eyes.

"I'm sorry," Jack whispered.

"No, Dad, it's…" Kim began. She couldn't quite say 'okay'. "I just… I don't know how to behave or what to say," she admitted. "I just don't."

He nodded. "I shouldn't have left her from under my sight for just a second like I did. It could have ended worse."

"Dad, she's fine. I just… You know such things happen; you just never think it could or shall be happening to you and your child. She doesn't seem to be that impressed by it. She slept through the night soundly, without waking up from nightmares or so. Otherwise I would have heard. She already gets nightmares if a cartoon ends bad for the villain sometimes." Jack smiled unconsciously. "She'll be just fine, I think. And now I better go."

"Yeah. See you."


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

"See you later, Daddy," Kim whispered, bending down to kiss her father's cheek. As she got up, she noticed Renee quietly watching from the doorway. She opened her mouth without saying anything, then managed to find her voice again, "Good morning, Renee."

She merely nodded to indicate she had heard Kim, but didn't say anything, her eyes unusually lifeless. She didn't bat her eyelashes once as Kim gazed at her bewildered. One could see the pupils flash backward and forth slightly, though. She looked as if in the middle of a battle, trying to catch everything and everyone around her in details. Renee's lips rested upon each other into a thin, emotionless line.

Jack's head shot up to look at her almost immediately and he noticed the state she was in, too. "Daddy?" His head shot back over to Kim as she spoke. "Daddy? I'm going. I'll see you later then." He could see her throw a brief, worried look upon her father's companion, before leaving the room to leave, and to, he assumed, maybe give them some privacy. She must have known there was a lot for them to talk about. He too realized that it must have been much more sensitive for Renee; that he should have thought before saying. He could hear the door to the garage fall shut behind Kim. He already didn't pay attention anymore to the sound of the garage door opening and shutting, nor Kim's SUV.

He slowly got up from the couch and walked over to the doorway against which Renee was leaning. "Hey," he whispered. He was a bit hesitant. He recalled seeing her like this only once before: right after she had stabbed Laitanin… and him. Her voice had sounded hoarse and broken, representing how she actually had felt inside. He feared for it again. He didn't quite know whether to hug her or keep the personal space between them. "Renee…?" He whispered in that low, deep voice of his. She blinked, looking at him as if she had only now realized his presence even though he knew that she must have seen and heard everything just fine. Jack swore he could see her flinch upon hearing her name.

She looked into Jack's eyes. The way Jack said her name was so much different than Laitanin or his fellow Russians, with the stress on the first syllable. She had heard them… especially him… say it multiple times during the night, while having been caged into a torturous, wrenching nightmare. She hadn't been able to get away from it, no matter how much she had fought. She didn't know how she had gotten asleep anymore. She remembered tossing and turning, her eyes shut in the hope that sleep would come. And indeed it had come, but now she really wished she hadn't. She had relived what had happened years ago undercover; what had happened later on with the same people. Before and after she had gone running in the wrong direction full force. She must admit to herself that even though she hadn't been up to it mentally last time – like Jack had said – she had been able to deal with it much better then. She had ended up sleeping with the man who had almost killed her years before not to blow her cover, killing him, and almost killing Jack, so that might have sounded rather odd… Both times she had focused on the job and its goal. The difference was that the first time she had gone undercover with the Russians, she had been unwilling to yield her boundaries. She had been unwilling to go to bed with Vlad then, which had led to him becoming violent and her having been pulled away with busted cheekbone and broken ribs. She had learned from her mistakes and had given Vlad what he wanted second time: her. She had let him feed on his obsession for her.

However, had she known back then how much worse it would make matters; that it would make her even more vulnerable and scared every time he was near… That it would led to her having had to be pulled away once again… Had she known back then how the demons would hunt her down so much later, settle in her mind again even after memory loss, and had she known back then that indeed she wasn't alone, and that Jack was and would remain with her… That he cared for her… That he really loved her… She should have listened and refused, or aided CTU otherwise.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

"Sweetie?" Renee quietly batted her eyelashes, before looking at her lover. She didn't say a word and didn't nod her head any way. "Have you gotten any sleep?" At that, she just nodded her head in response. "Listen… Renee. I'm really sorry for what I said yesterday. I was… I mean… This is my granddaughter. My mind just ran in so many directions. I think… I was scared to lose my granddaughter, after everything Kim and everyone else I love has been though because of me, like you…"

Renee nodded. She thought that if she spoke, her voice only would break. She didn't need Jack to worry about her more than he already did. She only realized somewhere halfway his sentence that he had begun talking again. "…Teri along. I have seen a couple on the way to the beach yesterday, but maybe you're not feeling up for it…?"

"I am," Renee answered, trying to get a smile to her lips, before pushing her head against Jack's shoulder, and wrapping her arms around his waist, pulling herself so close as possible. He could make her feel safe. She just needed the safety of his arms right now and thus sighed in relief when Jack's arms came around her, holding her tight and lovingly against him.

Jack briefly kissed her forehead, tenderly stroking along her back with one hand, as the other remained motionless at her side. Upon seeing Renee, he had changed his mind almost immediately. He could imagine her locked inside the house, much like she must have done after that day… that day when Larry had died… and when Tony had betrayed him for revenge on Michelle… when he had almost died after having been exposed to the bio weapon, its consequences coming fast… He had to do his best not to let that happen again. This time, he would be there right by her side. He just hoped that was enough for her to dare go on and keep herself from locking herself up like then. It hadn't done any good to her. She had crashed down in a mess when that had happened, returning to the CTU and thoughtlessly accepting that job both he and she deep inside had known she wasn't ready for. He couldn't put it from his mind. He just couldn't.

Something awkward and powerful and nagging within him would forever wonder how things could have gone if he maybe had persisted on talking to her after having been released from the hospital. He would keep wondering if it indeed could have saved them a lot of trouble, like the angst of losing her, the fight she had had to endure first with the Russians and Laitanin… and then with death and life. He somehow saw her struggle of revalidation to learn everything again as one with life. Good life required you could do everything she had had to relearn.

"I don't wanna sleep without you again," Renee whispered, shaking her head against her lover's shoulder. She just hoped hiding her face in Jack's shoulder would disguise the teeth clattering. He would know it, though. Jack always knew. Her fingers held tighter onto the fabric of Jack's shirt. She just felt the irrational need to hide… to hide under his shirt maybe. She immediately cursed herself for feeling such thing, when that was indeed so irrational.

Jack slowly pulled back and raised her chin to let their eyes meet again. Then, another need washed over her, and she leaned in to kiss him, her lips rubbing over his a couple of times before he too joined in, and their lips moved in sync with one another in a fast building kiss. Her tongue eagerly traced Jack's lower lip, before letting it inside, and allowing their tongues to move together, too. She wanted to feel him… feel loved; feel wanted for more than just the one reason of pleasure. And it couldn't wait.

So Renee's hands wandered down fast, searching blindly for his zipper, when suddenly Jack pulled back, stilling both of her hands with his. He was panting loud. "Renee… we shouldn't do this… you're not..."

"Jack," she interrupted. "Please…" she begged, before urging him into another kiss again and breaking free with her hands to continue her search. Just when she had found what she had been searching for, loud clattering could be heard from upstairs.

"Grandpa Jaaack!" It sounded, before the clattering continued. Little Teri must have woken up and found herself unable to go down the stairs because of the gate at the top. Kim had thought it to be necessary not to have accidents with her daughter, even though she could go up and down without holding on easily. Kim was sometimes overprotective.

Jack smirked, giving Renee one last kiss before making his way to his granddaughter, before she actually broke the gate.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Renee's eyes carefully wandered over the ceiling and walls, trying to take in everything as they walked inside the house, following the owner through the navy blue door. He was still living there, and so they were able to see the house immediately.

"I'm sorry that I can't offer you to see the house without all my stuff in it. It is bigger than it seems right now, just because all of my rubble is in it still. My now ex wife made sure to take a lot already, though."

They passed a large, white spiral staircase that lead to the first floor. On the left, a high golden decorated bow gave way to the kitchen, and further ahead an open door seemed to lead toward another room. Renee and Jack, with little Teri on his arm, walked behind the owner into the room and were met by a beautiful, finished kitchen. Heavy wooden cupboards were combined with grayish counter material. The counter was set into an L-shape, with a little kitchen island in the middle. A table and chairs suitable for four stood further away and more to the right a little darker blue couch, almost the same color as the door, was sitting. A broad color television hung against the wall.

Renee's nose wrinkled as she realized this room was a kitchen, dining room and pseudo living room in one. On that, the owner immediately said, "Of course you can rearrange a lot, so this becomes just a kitchen and dining room. We have made our porch to a living room mostly as well. I'll show you." The middle aged male walked from the kitchen in the direction of the open door Renee had already noticed earlier. She and Jack followed in silence.

* * *

They seemed to be lucky.

The broker of the next house they had wanted to see had been willing to come over right away. His office appeared to be close to the house to sell, and thus he had met them at the house half an hour after their call with a big smile.

He carefully turned the key in the lock and pushed open the door, letting Renee, Jack and Teri, who had squirmed enough to be set down and was holding her grandfather's hand, inside first before following and shutting the door behind him.

Renee sighed somewhat in relief, as she noticed the high ceiled hallway just a bit wider than had been the case with the other house. A floor of old French oak spread underneath them. The walls were a soft grayish with little green flowers here and there. A high wooden bow on the left lead them into a wide room with a cornered brown couch and a matching ottoman with wheels underneath that made it easy to move. There too was a low, glassy table with layers. On the lower were decorative candles, and on the upper lay nothing but a bit of dust. The wall facing them had a wide book shelf, filled with just a couple of books. Renee couldn't really see the titles from there, before the broker walked further and showed them the hearth. Renee assumed it to be more for decoration than for use. Three layers of wood against the wall aside from it lead to the bow through which they had come in.

Further ahead, an adjoining dining room drew their attention. A lengthy heavy wooden sideboard just one bit darker than the floor lined one wall. Another, well matching, showcase stood on the wall opposite. In between, an olive green carpet lay upon the same old French oak floor from the hallway. Upon that stood a glassy dining table with six chairs. Through the window behind, a hint of the veranda could be seen through the soft white curtain.

The broker smiled at Renee's dazzled face and Teri's wide eyes. "Would you like to see more?" he asked. Renee pulled her attention from the matching ceiling lights in living and dining room and let her eyes wander down the soft violet painted walls to the broker. She nodded and followed him through another, similar bow hidden behind the showcase into a darker tiled room resembling a squared, little hallway. The walls were white, decorated with soft green painted bamboo. It gave the room something lively, but again not too much. A solemn white cabinet stood in the corner. The broker indicated a chocolate brown screen door on the other side. "This one leads to the porch of the house, but I'll show you the kitchen first."

Ahead of them, another bow Renee hadn't noticed before lead to a wide, light colored kitchen. Another table for six with chairs made of the same heavy wood as the showcase and sideboard in the dining room stood before them, with another matching cabinet behind it. Renee was blown away by how perfectly everything matched in this house.

On the left, the wall was replaced by what Renee assumed to be slide windows giving view on the porch. Renee at least assumed that they could open. She had no time to eye the porch just yet, for the broker had already run to the right in the kitchen area.

This kitchen was an L-shape as well, though more modern than had been the case at former house. The cupboards were a grayish broken white and the counter was a white marble matching it nicely. A white double sink was seated in the middle of one side of the counter, as a hood and cooking plates had been made right in the middle of the other side of the L. A high aluminum colored fridge indicated the end of the counter there, seated next to a door, and Renee immediately wondered to where it could lead.

The kitchen island of course matched the counter as well, seated right in the middle of the area. With a wink at Renee, the broker pulled at a handle of the kitchen island, revealing a dishwasher to them. After having shut it neatly again, Mr. Winston quipped to the door next to the fridge, turned on a light switch and opened it for them. "This leads to the cellar as you might see. It is quite large."

Jack just nodded, and the broker quietly shut the door.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

And then they were back in the hallway. Mr. Winston had suggested to let them see the rest of the at level and then first floor before moving on to the porch and garden. Especially Teri had been happy to hear that there was a garden. "I can almost hear you wondering about that door," the broker enthusiastically said, moving to the door beside the staircase without actually looking at them. He threw open the door and switched on the light, showing them a bathroom with toilet and sink: for just a restroom, it was quite large. Considering how roomy everything else was as well, it wasn't that odd, though.

Renee and Jack nodded, and the broker shut the door once again, before moving to the end of the staircase and walking into a door on the right, situated opposite the living and dining room. He again let Renee and Jack enter first, before following. By now, Teri had requested her grandfather to pick her up again. On the wall ahead of them another book shelf was located; on the right there were two desks with office chairs and on the left of the room - which wasn't that roomy considering the rest of the house – there was an olive green loveseat. Renee easily determined that an office didn't actually needed to be that big and followed the broker again further to a door on the left, next to the loveseat.

A room with sea blue walls and a black and white checked floor met them. On the right of them, next to the door, there was a washing and drying machine. Otherwise nothing else was there. There were no windows, and yet it was quite illuminated. Renee looked up at the ceiling light. It wasn't so large, but it appeared to give a lot of light. "The woman of the house used this room to do the ironing and such," Mr. Winston told them. "So… Shall I show you the first floor then?" He wondered.

As Renee and Jack nodded, he walked after them again, turning off the light before shutting the door, and repeating the routine upon leaving the office. With an even broader smile than before, the broker walked up the stairs with the visitors in his wake.

The hallway of the first floor was similarly decorated as the one at level. It only had another floor, of light brown carpet. The broker opened a door to their immediate right, leading to the master bedroom. The walls were a broken white similar to the color from the kitchen. A light colored wooden double bed stood before them, with matching night tables on each side. On the left there was a relatively wide window giving view upon the garden. To the right, next to the door, there was a commode with a mirror that matched the other furniture. On the right wall far ahead was a high double wardrobe.

Jack and Renee eyed everything carefully, their eyes sliding over everything in slow motion. "Shall we continue then?" Mr. Winston asked, leading them in the hallway again without waiting for their reply. He walked them into the bathroom, the door straight ahead of the master bedroom. The walls were tiled white, and the floor was similar to the darker tiles from the hallway below. A luxurious looking douche and bath combination rose on the right, a toilet on the left, with a sink right beside it on one side, and a white bathroom cabinet on the other.

They walked into the hallway again, after having watched everything carefully. And so the broker walked further along the hallway. It had doors on each side, similar to the other end of the hallway. He first opened the door to the right. A solemn singular bed stood on the wall ahead and a night table right beside it. On the wall beside the door stood a wardrobe. There was a window on the left.

They quietly left the room, before moving to the other door ahead. Mr. Winston opened the door and voiced what Renee and Jack too noticed. "This room is almost entirely the same as former one – only mirrored."

They thus left the bedroom, and Jack and Renee just walked up the stairs on the right behind the broker. He briefly showed them an unused room on the right. "This room was built as a possible children's room or guest room, but was never used. It might be used as an attic." Jack and Renee just nodded, and then the broker smiled wider. "So, let's discover the porch and garden then."

The porch ran the length of the house. Except for a cabinet similar like the one in the kitchen, it was entirely unfilled. The broker ran to the navy blue door on the right before anyone could ask questions. He easily swung it open and switched on the light. "This is the garage," he said. "On first sight it looks like it is detached from the rest of the house, but it isn't. The garage door is automatic," he said, before heaving the bundle of keys from his pocket and searching for the device. As he pushed it, the door automatically opened. Once it was open, he easily pushed the button again to let it fall shut. "Of course this is useable from the inside as well. There is a reserve, of course. And there's a key in case you don't like living automatically."

They walked back into the veranda, and waited for the broker to open the door with his key, leading them into a lively, well maintained garden. A few feet of wooden floor was there, then went over in a stretch of green grass. There was a little but sturdy looking rattan table with six matching chairs and a parasol on their left so one could sit in the garden in weather like this. Near to where the garden ende, was a wooden tool shed; on the left of it was a stone barbeque. "Of course this garden has a lot of potential," Mr. Winston said, looking up at Jack and Renee.

"How much do you ask for it?" Jack wondered. The price of course was one of the most essential things to take in consideration before buying.

"Well…"


	20. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

"Jack…" Renee whispered and panted under the weight of the heavy carton boxes she carried. Jack intuitively reached for the upper one, before carrying it inside, walking after Renee. He quietly watched her put down her heavy carton box onto the kitchen table, before doing the same with his.

Renee sighed, unnecessarily wiping her brow. "Is there a lot left?" She asked.

Jack momentarily shook his head. "No, just a couple more. I'll get them," he said, before fleetingly pecking her forehead, and going to the car to get the last of their belongings as said, leaving his lover to sort the boxes by their contains. She began searching for the towels and other things that should go upstairs.

She had gotten to put aside at least two boxes, before hearing the door fall shut and watching Jack enter with three boxes piled against his chest, wobbling dangerously. He rapidly left them on the table, before turning to a smiling Renee. He smiled, too, before walking over to her and taking her in his embrace, fleetingly kissing her forehead. "Happy?" He murmured.

She nodded against his shoulder, burying her head in it. Of course she was. She was going to begin another life here with him and be happier than ever before… and that hopefully without moving again.


End file.
